Qualcomm's in the money as Snapdragon provides a record year

Snappy snaps

With 2012 proving a record-breaking year, Qualcomm's smartphone-powering Snapdragon chips are keeping the company's bank vault nicely stocked with cash.

In its financial year 2012, Qualcomm's revenues were up 28 per cent, its operating income was up 13 per cent, its net income was up 43 per cent and, we hate to sound like a broken record, but its earnings per share were up too.

As a result, the company raked in a net income of $6.11 billion for the year. That's about £3.8 billion or AU$5.9 billion.

Lend us a fiver

It's looking a touch less rosy in the quarter-based results, with income for the final three months of Qualcomm's financial year up only 5 per cent – although, crucially still up.

As tech waves go, Qualcomm is riding a good one with its CEO Dr Paul Jacobs attributing the huge cash harvest to the explosion of wireless data and the smartphone market.

It won't stop there, either, with Dr Jacobs saying that he expects "double-digit revenue growth in fiscal 2013" as a result of a robust Snapdragon and 3G/LTE roadmap. In English? More money coming next year.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/processors/qualcomms-in-the-money-as-snapdragon-provides-a-record-year-1111091

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‘Don’t underestimate BB10,’ RIM boss says during demo of upcoming BlackBerry OS [video]

As the iPhone 5 flies off the shelves and Samsung reports record profits, the boss of the firm that once ruled the smartphone roost has said in an interview that BlackBerry 10 – set for launch early next year – should not be underestimated.

With so many product launches taking place in the tech world this month, it’s not hard to think Research In Motion should be in the mix too, rolling out its new BB10 phones and next-generation mobile operating system. But, of course, it’s not. For RIM’s new offerings we still have to wait at least several more months.

The company is trying to keep itself in the picture though – lest it be completely forgotten by consumers playing with their newly acquired iPhone or Samsung device – with RIM boss Thorsten Heins giving an interview to the BBC this week, offering a glimpse of the new OS while answering a few questions about the company’s current state of affairs.

The demo – given on a Dev Alpha B device similar to the one handed out to developers earlier this year – involves a good deal of touching and swiping, as well as a little bit of ‘blending’ (check out the demo below to learn more), with Heins describing the theme of BB10 as “the integration of various applications into what we in BB10 call the BlackBerry flow…..[so there’ll be no] application grid.”

BB10 is about real-time multi-tasking, Heins said, enabling the user “to live in the multi-taking space,” making it simple to jump between running applications. He also mentioned the BlackBerry Hub, which acts as a kind of notification system that pulls in information from various apps and programs.

Too late?

Heins, it has to be said, didn’t look particularly pleased when Cellan-Jones suggested it was all coming too late, staring straight back at the BBC man with an expression that suggested he was momentarily imagining a scenario involving the interviewer, the Dev Alpha B device and a painful surgical procedure, but overall Heins was cheerful and enthusiastic throughout. And by the way, in response to the accusation that RIM has missed the boat, Heins said, “Don’t underestimate the dynamic this platform is going to create in the market.”

Interestingly, when asked about the recent NY Times article which featured people claiming to be embarrassed about getting their BlackBerry phone out in public, Heins said, “Without going into detail, I would kind of question the sources that were used for that article,” adding that, according to what he sees in markets outside the US, there’s “huge growth and huge commitment to BlackBerry.”

You can check out the interview below.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/dont-underestimate-bb10-rim-boss-says-during-demo-of-upcoming-blackberry-os-video/

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Apple sold a disappointing 5 million iPhone 5 units in three days

Apple sold a record-breaking 5 million iPhone 5 units in three days — a million or so short of Wall Street's expectations.

Apple sold a record-breaking 5 million iPhone 5 units over the past three days, the company announced today. The number tops its previous record of 4 million units sold during opening weekend, which was set last year by the iPhone 4S.

“Demand for iPhone 5 has been incredible and we are working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, in a statement. “While we have sold out of our initial supply, stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date. We appreciate everyone’s patience and are working hard to build enough iPhone 5s for everyone.”

Despite the self-congratulations, sales of the iPhone 5 have fell well short of lofty Wall Street estimates. Apple analyst extraordinaire Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray predicted that Apple would sell 6 million to 10 million iPhone 5 units in its opening weekend. He added that 6 million would count as a “worst-case scenario.”

Apple’s stock price had fallen more nine points, at the time of this writing, to $691.

The iPhone 5 broke the record for first-day sales, clocking in 2 million sales in 24 hours after the device became available for pre-order on September 14. The iPhone 4S set the previous record last year, with more than 1 million units sold in a single day.

The iPhone 5 is currently available in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and the U.K. Apple also announced today that the handset would become available in 22 countries on Friday, September 28, and 100 countries total by the end of the year.

New features added to the iPhone 5 include a 4-inch display, 4G LTE connectivity, an improved FaceTime camera for video chat, and a thinner and lighter design.

Check out our in-depth review of the iPhone 5 here.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/apple-sold-5-million-iphone-5-units-in-first-weekend/

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Apple weighs in: more than 2 million iPhone 5 pre-ordered

A couple of hours after AT&T announced that the iPhone 5 had broken the previous record for best-selling iPhone, Apple stepped up and gives us some exact numbers.

In a Press Release the Cupertino-based company shares that the iPhone 5 has hit over 2 million pre-orders in the first 24 hours after it went available.

In comparison the iPhone 4S got 1 million pre-orders last October in its first 24 hours, while the iPhone 4 got 600000 in 2010. Of course, the iPhone 5 is available in more markets than its predecessors, but the growth is still pretty impressive.

You can find the Press Release in the source link below.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_weighs_in_more_than_2_million_iphone_5_preordered-news-4815.php

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Apple boasts 2 million iPhone 5 units sold in 24 hours

Apple claims a new record, with more than 2 million iPhone 5 units pre-ordered in the first 24 hours.

Apple sold more than 2 million iPhone 5 units in the first 24 hours of pre-order availability, the company boasted in a press release this morning. That’s more than twice the 1 million iPhone 4S units the company sold last year — more than twice! See, the iPhone 5 isn’t as boring as you thought, according to Apple.

Last year, Apple sold app approximately 1 million iPhone 4S units in the first 24 hours, and more than 4 million units during the first weekend. We wouldn’t be surprised to see another press release from Apple touting record weekend sales of the iPhone 5 as well.

The iPhone 5 went on sale at about 12:01a.m. in U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore on Friday, September 14. The iPhone 4S, on the other hand, was not initially available in Hong Kong and Singapore, which presumably helped boost early iPhone 5 sales figures.

AT&T, the first U.S. wireless service provider to offer the iPhone, also released a statement this morning saying that the iPhone 5 is “the fastest-selling iPhone the company has ever offered.” The iPhone 5 is also available through Verizon Wireless and Sprint in the U.S., as well as a number of smaller carriers.

Due to the supposedly unprecedented demand for the latest iPhone, Apple says that “initial supply” of the smartphone has already been depleted. While “the majority” of pre-ordered iPhone 5 units will arrived on customer doorsteps by the previously promised September 21 launch date, says Apple, some people who pre-ordered the iPhone 5 won’t receive their devices until sometime in October.

All 356 Apple retail stores in the U.S. will begin selling the iPhone 5 at 8a.m. on September 21 — but you’ll likely have to stand in line to get one. Fortune reports that Apple fans in New York City have already begun camping out for the big launch. A better bet is to hit up an AT&T, Verizion, or Sprint retail shop, which will begin selling the iPhone 5 in-store at the same time as Apple.

The iPhone 5 features a new, 4-inch Retina display made with in-cell technology, 4G LTE connectivity, an A6 system-on-chip, dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity, and the new iOS 6 mobile operating system. People with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S can all update to iOS 6 on Wednesday, September 19.

To learn all the details of the iPhone 5, click here. And check out our complete breakdown of iOS 6 here.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/apple-boasts-2-million-iphone-5-units-sold-in-24-hours/

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Apple's iPhone arrogance could cost it in the long term

Look! A different port! That's new.

Apple has once again executed its perfect strategy: an underwhelming phone that will still sell in record numbers. But is it failing its fans?

The immediate response to the iPhone 5 has been one we've seen time and again: is that it? Scream the naysayers, only to see it sell in record numbers.

And I've no doubt we'll see the same thing here, millions upon millions of iPhone sold and Cook proclaiming that this is 'the most successful smartphone of all time'.

And sure, there are reasons it deserves the accolade. It's the thinnest out there. It's well-designed and packs the most well-stocked app store on the planet.

The game has changed

But we're not sitting here in 2008, witnessing the launch of the game-changing iPhone 3G with no real competition. We're in 2012, where there are at least three other phones on the market that match the iPhone 5 for specs and at a much lower cost.

Take the Samsung Galaxy S3 – quad core power, larger screen and £130 cheaper to buy. Or the Nokia Lumia 920, with a screen that's as high-res as the iPhone 5 but comes with more advanced camera technology and a fresh interface through Windows Phone 8.

There will be those that sniff at such options, stating that the iOS ecosystem is perfectly good enough for them and the iPhone 5 is the best device to show off that platform yet.

And they're right – this is the best iPhone yet without a shadow of a doubt. But what's so special about it beyond a slightly larger screen and a two tone back? The processor is a bit more efficient and snappy and it will work on the 4G networks when they emerge later this year, but it's still running the same tired OS we've seen time and again – iOS 6 is essentially the same as it was in 2007 with a few more bells and whistles.

I've got nothing against what Apple is up to in the smartphone game – I'd have to be pretty arrogant/foolish to claim to be smarter than the world's most valuable company – but if Samsung or HTC brought out a phone that was the same shape as the predecessor and then followed it up with the same thing but a bit longer and with new headphones, it would be dismissed as an also-ran before the handset hit the shelves.

We all know Apple can convince the world that the same is good when it needs to, and that slight upgrades are all that's needed. But if it doesn't bring out something as impressive as the iPhone 4 soon – which genuinely married up the best technology with superior design – then Apple could start having a problem convincing the world that it knows best when it comes to telling iFans which phone they should be craving.

Our hands on: iPhone 5 review stated: "But, in truth, Apple will be well aware that it doesn't need to reinvent the wheel to succeed"... it would be nice if it tried once in a while though.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/apples-iphone-arrogance-could-cost-it-in-the-long-term-1096806

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